Tag Archives: MAVEN

A busy night with lots to talk about on ‘the Universe.’ Live guest, friend of the show, and all around good guy Randy Attwood joined the crew to chat about his new venture: Earthshine Astronomy and Space Science Org. This is a group that focuses on astronomy outreach in the Greater Toronto Area. York Universe host Dr. Patrick Hall was also on this evening, and chatted about his new discovery that was getting some ‘rounds on the internet. Hold onto your butts.

2. Nov 4, 1916 – Walter Cronkite’s birthday. Well known for covering space on television, he famously did 27 hours straight of live television following the Apollo 11 launch. His voice is also widely connected with the Apollo 11 moon landing. For this and other reasons he was the only non-NASA employee or astronaut to receive the Ambassador of Exploration Award on February 8, 2006.

3. Oct 31, 1961 – The second-largest movable dish in the southern hemisphere, the Parkes Observatory, opened on October 31, 1961. The radio telescope has been tracking spacecraft since 1962, beginning with Mariner 2 and continuing with Voyager 2, Giotto, Galileo, and Huygens, among other. Parkes was one of several ground-receiving stations for the Apollo 11 Moon landing, transmitting live video to over 600 million people. Parkes also helped receive signals for Apollo’s 12, 14, 15, and 17, providing emergency assistance for Apollo 13. http://www.csiro.au/science/Parkes-five-decades-of-discovery

4. Nov 3, 1966 – The U.S. Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory program might have been the world’s first space station. Cancelled in 1969, it was intended to perform classified reconnisance missions in Earth orbit; the laboratory would have hosted two crew members launched aboard a modified Gemini capsule. A prototype of the station was launched on November 3, 1966, on a Titan IIIC rocket, which flew a Gemini capsule previously flown on the Gemini II uncrewed test flight. It was the first space capsule to have flown twice in space. The capsule is currently on display at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile History Museum at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Learn more about MOL here:http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1647

5. Nov 2, 2000 – Humanity’s current continuous presence in space began on November 2, 2000, when Expedition 1 boarded the International Space Station.

It was a busy night on York Universe! Tonight we welcomed a new host to our show, Hugh Podmore. He is a graduate student in Space Engineering at York University. We were also delighted to interview Dr. Ralph Chou, former president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Toronto Faction, and seasoned solar eclipse chaser (he has GREAT stories!). We condemned the U.S. government shutdown, celebrated NASA’s victory with MAVEN, and chatted about Ultra Compact Dwarf galaxies. Podcast and show notes below.